Containers and closures may be utilized for dispensing a wide variety of substances such as liquids, gels, suspensions and the like from the container as known by those skilled in the art. It has been known to use closures with pressure-actuated, flexible, slit-type valves to dispense the contained substance as pressure is applied to the container. It is also known to utilize carrier rings whereby the valve may be inserted into the carrier ring to form a preassembled carrier ring assembly which may then be inserted into the closure (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,363). This preassembled structure can be advantageous for manufacturing processes as the carrier ring assembly may be assembled at a separate location from the final assembly of the closure on the container.
However, known carrier ring assemblies have problems. Specifically, the carrier ring assemblies generally require additional substances, such as talc, to aid assembly of the valve into the carrier ring assembly. Talc is used as the valve must be squeezed into a specific orientation in the carrier ring such that the valve is retained within the carrier ring. These substances can be problematic for the machines used in the assembly process, frequently requiring disassembly, cleaning and/or replacement of the machinery, due to substances like talc.
Alternatively, valves can be inserted into carrier rings using less talc, but requiring an additional processing step whereby a portion of the carrier ring is pressed over the top of the valve to retain the valve in the carrier ring. These additional processing steps similarly slow the manufacturing process down and require additional machinery.